a) Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to hydro-therapeutic devices, such as spas, hot tubs and whirlpools, and more particularly, to such devices that use an aerated stream of water to stimulate specific areas of a body.
b) Background of the Prior Art
Many different therapeutic devices and structures are known in the prior art that discharge water against and around a human body to stimulate and massage the user's muscles. Such devices include hand-held sprayers which may be attached to conventional bath tub faucets or to a shower head and which are designed to direct a controlled, sometimes pulsating stream of water to selected areas of the user's body. Other devices include larger and more dedicated systems, such as spas, hot tubs, and whirlpools (collectively referred hereinafter as "spas") which provide a more general hydro-therapy to the entire body of the user.
Early spas were therapeutic facilities, usually large public pools whose water was heated and made to circulate (the earliest spas were natural springs, some of which having a source of water that was geothermally heated). With the availability of suitable plastic materials and small reliable heaters and water pumps, relatively low cost personal-use (accommodating 1-5 people) spas became commercially viable and quite popular.
Early personal-use spas included simple means to provide general circulation and filtration of the heated spa water. As the spas advanced, the simple circulation system was modified to return a portion of the circulating water to the spa in jet outlets that produced a strong stream of water at predetermined points throughout the spa.
The jet outlets of these prior art spas were located throughout the spa so that the spa users could position themselves to receive a forced, massaging stream of water against their bodies. In a further innovation, air was entrained into the returning water stream to increase water turbulence and further stimulate and massage the users' bodies. Although the aerated stream of fluid forced from each jet outlet located within such spas provides a massaging effect to the user, the actual parts of the user's body that the forced fluid from these jet outlets is capable of reaching is quite limited. The limited number of jet outlets are typically located along the walls of the spa and generally provide a single jet outlet for each person within the spa. The location of a typical jet outlet of a prior art spa is such that a user seated within the spa may focus the forced fluid to any point between the shoulders and mid-back. Without undue contortion of the user's body or standing up in the spa, all other parts of the user's body are not reachable using any of the wall jets. These are only mildly massaged by the general circulation, aeration and elevated temperature of the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,418,984, issued to Livingston, Jr. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,359, issued to Clark both disclose spas having integrally-formed seats for supporting the spa users. In both of these patents, outlet jets are located within the seat structure so that several streams of fluid are generally directed to lower back and underside of the user's body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,418,984 discloses a spa-seat structure that includes several fluid outlets that only provide general stimulation over a large area of a user's lower back and underside.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,359 discloses a spa having a seat with outlet jets which are generally arranged. Such non-specific positioning of the outlet jets throughout the seat structure will merely provide a general overall massaging and mild stimulation to a users body over a broad area.
Other related devices which would direct a stream of water (heated or otherwise) to a human body include bidets, and sitz baths. A bidet is a device that is used to direct a controlled stream (or spray) of heated water to the rectum and adjacent area of a user in an effort to clean the general area prior to or in place of using toilet tissue. The bidet may be incorporated with a conventional toilet wherein a stream of water is provided by an appropriately directed nozzle, or may be provided as a separate bathroom fixture (usually positioned immediately adjacent to a conventional toilet). In the later device, a substantially vertical stream of heated water is directed upwardly. A squatting user may position himself with respect to the stream to direct the water against the area in need of cleaning.
A sitz bath is a device for providing a circulating flow of heated or otherwise treated water (or other fluid) around the lower abdomen of a user. The device is essentially a small bath tub into which only a small portion of the user's body may fit, usually his or her midsection. A sitz bath typically includes an integral seat which supports the user in such a manner that allows his or her midsection to be submerged in the circulating water. The circulating water is constantly replaced with clean water and is generally used to treat a patient's rectal area.
Although both bidets and sitz baths may inherently massage a particular area of a user's body, they are designed and used to clean a specific area of the body, usually the rectum of either a female or a male, and possibly the vagina and surrounding area of the female body.
An example of a typical sitz bath is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,902,200 issued to Pratt. This device includes a portable seat which supports the user's lower abdomen. The device has an inlet hose that is connected to a faucet of a conventional tub and attached to the seat structure so that a stream of water may be directed to the rectum area of the user. U.S. Pat. No. 3,902,200, in its entirety is herein incorporated by reference.
A portable bidet-like device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,808 issued to Guarrera. Here, a female user is positioned within a conventional bath tub on a seat structure that allows her to spread her legs sufficiently to separate her labia and expose her vagina. The device includes an outlet nozzle that is connected to a water supply and positioned on the floor of the bath tub to provide an upwardly directed spray of water. The volume or intensity of the water spray is controlled by a foot-operated valve. The spray of water is intended to be directed at the female user's labia, vagina, and rectum for the purpose of cleaning the same. U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,808, in its entirety is herein incorporated by reference.
Applicant has recognized a need for a hydro-therapeutic device that provides a dedicated stream of fluid to specifically stimulate the clitoris and labia of a female's vulva and provide supporting structure that allows the female user to comfortably position herself with respect to the fluid stream. Although sitz baths, bidets, spas, hot tubs, and whirlpools, described above, may inherently provide some stimulation to a user, they are neither designed nor intended to direct a dedicated stream of water to specific sensitive (sexually-stimulating) areas of a woman's vulva for the main purpose of providing genitalia stimulation.
Furthermore, since the purpose of the above-described prior art bidets and sitz baths are to clean specific recto-genital regions of the user's body, they provide a light-force, diverged spray of fluid. Although this diverged spray may provide some stimulation to the overall recto-genital region, this stimulation is inherently week because the flow of the fluid is not provided as a concentrated stream directed to the specific highly sensitive areas of the female user's genitalia, i.e., the clitoris and the surrounded labia.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a spa that includes a dedicated stream of fluid that is directed to specific sensitive areas of a female's genitalia to promote pleasurable (and perhaps climatic) genitalia stimulation and therapeutic relaxation.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a device that is formed integrally within a seat located within the spa.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a device that directs a stream of fluid to specific sensory areas of a female's genitalia to promote pleasurable genitalia stimulation and therapeutic relaxation without substantial stimulation to immediately adjacent less-sensitive areas.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide such a hydro-therapeutic stimulation device that overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art.